Product Description

Despite knowing the truth and having a relationship with Jesus Christ, many Christians feel like something is missing. They read the Bible regularly, participate in church life and community and give of their time and resources, but still lack a sense of purpose and mission in their daily lives. If you're feeling like something is missing, you may be right.

Richard Stearns, president of World Vision and author of The Hole in Our Gospel, believes that what many Christians need is a reawakening of God's purpose and passion in their lives. In Unfinished: Believing Is Only the Beginning, Stearns explores the invitation God offers to each of us to be a part of His greater work in the world. Sharing lessons from Scripture and inspiring stories of how real people are making a difference, Unfinished will show you that God has a dream for this world that Jesus called the kingdom of God. Discover how the journey into your heart's cry for significance and purpose can be answered by uniting with God's vision for His eternal kingdom. Includes a Study Guide. Softcover.

Publisher's Description

Believing Is Only the Beginning

Do you long for a deeper sense of meaning and purpose in your life? Do you believe all the right things, go to church, and faithfully read your Bible, still feeling that something is missing? You may be right.

Two thousand years ago Jesus gave an urgent assignment to his followers right before he left. At its essence it was not just an invitation to believe; it was a bold call to action. It was a challenge to go into the world to reclaim, reform, and restore it for Christ.

Simply stated, the message of this book is that God has invited you to join him in this world-changing mission. And if you are not personally participating in Gods great endeavor, you could be missing the very thing he created you to do.

Best-selling author Rich Stearns invites you not just to stand on the sidelines but to get into the game. That is when the adventure begins.

Unfinished, just might challenge everything you thought you understood about your Christian faith. Unfinished is a call to finish the job Christ gave his church to do. If every Christian read this book and took it seriously, the world would never be the same again.Bill Hybels, senior pastor, Willow Creek Community Church; and chairman, Willow Creek Association

Just when Ive gotten comfortable with my faith, here comes Rich Stearns, reminding me what matters and who God loves and why. Just when my world is the way I want it, Rich reminds me the world is not the way God wants it. Hungry families. Malnourished kids. Just when I dare think my work is done, Rich reminds me that we are just getting started. First in The Hole in Our Gospel, now in Unfinished, Rich gives me a kind, gracious kick. Thanks, Rich. (I think.)Max Lucado, pastor and best-selling author

Okay, admit it: sometimes you wonder . . . dont you? Is this it? The life youre living. Is there more? From his journey in corporate and nonprofit leadershipin very good causesRich Stearns concludes there is, indeed, more. More purpose. More meaning. More life. In Unfinished you will discover how your life can be about more.Elisa Morgan, author; speaker; publisher, FullFill; and president emerita, MOPS International

Rich Stearns has done it again! In this winsome, engaging, and challenging book, he calls us back to some of the key issues of what it means to be followers of Christ in a world full of distractions and false gods. This is a book for everyone, about finding the place of our calling in Gods global mission. It is a book about fulfillment, adventure, and a lifetime of transformation. It made me hungry for more of the life God has in store for us.Dr. Stephen Hayner, president, Columbia Theological Seminary

Your story can be a part of the Great Story. Rich Stearns knows the story and lives the story. Unfinished may call you to the greatest chapter of your life.John Ortberg, senior pastor, Menlo Park Presbyterian Church; and author, Who Is This Man?

The kingdom is both already and not yet, the work of Christ both finished and to be completed. Stearns reminds readers of every Christians responsibility to live on mission, in light of Jesus example and call. Richard shows us by his life, the ministry he leads, and the passion of this book that there is much to be done and we are to be a part of Gods grand plan.Ed Stetzer, president, LifeWay Research; and author, Subversive Kingdom

Every generation of Christians needs a wake-up call to remind us of how serious and strenuous are the demands of discipleship. May Rich Stearnss Unfinished be that alarm for our time.David Neff, editorial vice president, Christianity Today

Author Bio

Richard Stearns has served as president of World Vision U.S. since 1998, having formerly been the CEO of Parker Bros. Games and Lenox, Inc. He and his wife, Reneé, have five children of their own and millions more around the world.

I just finished reading Richard Stearns Unfinished. Overall, I enjoyed this book. It's a call for individuals and the church to the Great Commission. Stearns believes the American church has become too relaxed in living out their faith. He believes that we have lost our sense of urgency with the Great Commission, both as individuals and as a church. We have been left as Jesus' ambassadors in this world, but we are not rising to the mission.

My husband enjoyed his discussion of our spiritual GPS in the chapter on "Called for a Purpose" - how we need to commit, pray, prepare, obey, act and trust. I thought his chapter on "Outposts of the Kingdom" was a good chapter, referring to the church.

He also includes a study guide and shares ways we can live out our faith in the closing chapters. I would recommend this book.

(I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their booksneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.)

from Richard Stearns, author of the bestselling <em>The Hole In Our Gospel</em>, comes his next book <em>Unfinished</em>.

if books had taglines, like movies, <em>Unfinished</em> would have two...

"Believing is only the beginning."

"So you believe in God. Now what?"

<em>Unfinished</em> seeks to promote the proclamation and practice of the Kingdom of God. it seeks to wrestle with and answer challenging questions about our lives, careers, money, families, and purpose in life.

Stearns is an excellent storyteller and writer. he engages the Bible and the real world with passion and compassion, hoping that his readers and the Church will join in with God's mission in the world today.

<em>Unfinished</em> is a challenging read. wonderfully written, it's a thought-provoking book that will make you see and think about things differently. it may push you and make you uncomfortable, or it may affirm and confirm some things for you. it did all four for me.

Do you ever wonder why Jesus left? As Ascension Day draws near (this year, on May 9th), the question bears contemplation. Take a moment to re-read Acts 1:10-11: "They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. â€˜Men of Galilee,' they said, â€˜Why do you stand here looking into the sky?' " Why, indeed? For a time, Rich Stearns thought about calling his new book, "Looking at the Sky," a title inspired by that moment described in Acts. I know this because I'm part of the communications team at World Vision, and have the privilege of helping support Rich on his book projects. He liked that title because before Jesus' ascension, he charged the disciples with a critical missionâ€”to launch a spiritual and social revolution that would change the world and to demonstrate the love of God to all. In the end, the book title became Unfinishedâ€”appropriate not only because as Acts 1 reveals, our work on earth isn't yet finished, but neither are we yet finished. That critical mission? Still not done. What is your role in finishing the mission? Unfinished will help you discover the life God created you to live and your own fulfillment of the promise of the resurrection. He is risen! The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!